Port Lands

The '''Port Lands''' (also known as '''Portlands''') of [[Toronto]], [[Ontario]], [[Canada]] are an industrial and recreational neighbourhood located about 5 kilometres south-east of downtown, located on the former [[Don River (Ontario)|Don River]] delta and most of [[Ashbridge's Bay]]. Approximate geographical borders are the [[Gardiner Expressway]]/[[Don Valley Parkway]] ramps to the north and west, [[Lake Shore Boulevard]] to the north, [[Lake Ontario]] on the three remaining sides: the [[Toronto Harbour|Inner Harbour]] to the west, Ashbridges Bay to the east and the open waters of Lake Ontario to the south. Landmarks include the [[Portlands Energy Centre]], [[Cherry Beach]], [[Ashbridges Bay Wastewater Treatment Plant]], and the now out of service [[Hearn Generating Station]]. ==History== [[File:TorontoWWIAshbridgeBayMunitions.jpg|left|thumb|Munitions Dump at [[Ashbridge's Bay]], 1916 (First World War)]] The land was formerly [[marsh]]land and [[River delta|delta]] of the Don River in Toronto. The area was connected to the [[Toronto Islands]] archipelago until a violent storm in 1858 created a natural channel break turning the archipelago into a series of islands to the west. Much of the port lands were initially part of Ashbridge's Bay, which consisted of a five square kilometre triangular shaped area of marshes and ponds surrounded by sandbars. The water and reeds in marsh provided habitat for birds and other animals. The marshy area was gradually filled in to make more available land for industry and shipping, beginning in the 1880s. [[Gooderham and Worts]] used the marsh to dispose of waste from pigs and cattle, as well as wheat swill from their distilling operations. The once natural area was now a open sewage dump and became a health hazard by the 1890s (threat of a cholera outbreak) forced the city to act. The Don River's mouth was filled in and the river was re-routed into the [[Keating Channel]] (named for the City engineer [[Edward Henry Keating]] (1844-1912), who devised the idea to re-route the Don) into the inner harbour and a large shipping channel (the inner basin) was created to allow access into the center of industry in the [[1910s]]. Until the mid-20th century the marshy area within the sand spits become further filled in and developed industrially under the watch of the [[Toronto Harbour Commission]]. With de-industrialization spreading rapidly by the 1980s, and oil companies writing off polluted lands to avoid future liability, much of the previous land uses became abandoned. The port industrial uses have been reduced to a {{convert|50|acre|m2|adj=on}} shipping facility and a cruise ship terminal, both run by the [[Toronto Port Authority]], an electrical generating station, road salt storage, a "concrete campus" and roof shingle manufacturing along with municipal services such as a waste transfer station on the site of a deactivated incinerator, a Toronto Hydro utility yard, and a TTC wheel trans garage. Other commercial uses also exist on the land, but the majority is still abandoned brownfields. The vast majority of the lands were transferred to the City of Toronto in the 1990s. The area is ear-marked for cleanup and redevelopment in addition to restoring a natural mouth for the Don River. The redevelopment is being organized through the [[Waterfront Toronto]] partnership. ==Industry== The Port Lands are mostly abandoned from the days of heavy industry. The [[Toronto Port Authority]] operates a container shipping facility and a cruise ship terminal along the eastern shore of the inner harbour, as well as the large Outer Harbour Marina in between the Port Lands and the Leslie Street Spit. The [[Portlands Energy Centre]], a cogeneration power plant, is situated beside the now defunct [[Hearn Generating Station|Richard L. Hearn Generating Station]]. The Hearn Generating Station smokestack (215 m - {{convert|705|ft|m}} in height), together with the Ashbridges Bay sewage sludge incinerator stack and the Commissioners Street waste incinerator stack stand as towering landmarks of a bygone but necessary industrial era (All three facilities are no longer in operation). Energy Innovation Corp. plans to construct a new facility on the Porlands that will use flaxseeds to make biodiesel. Energy Innovation Corp. CEO Jon Dwyer says the Toronto plant will use flaxseeds from all over southern Ontario to make 10 million litres of biodiesel annually. The expansion is in anticipation of increased demand stemming from Federal legislation that calls for all diesel fuel and heating-oil to contain 2 per cent biodiesel by 2011, which experts predict will drive Canadian demand as high as 600 million litres annually. Canada currently produces 200 million litres a year. Dwyer chose the portlands because: "Being located in cities means being closer to customers; from waste management companies like the Turtle Island Recycling Plant, to bus transit corporations like Metrolinx, to the City of Toronto itself." ==Recreation== The area along the south shore of the Port Lands has become mostly recreational. The [[Leslie Street Spit]] extends south from the Port lands and forms an outer harbour, sheltering a bird sanctuary and two boating marinas in the outer harbour. The south-western corner of the Port Lands is home to [[Cherry Beach]], parkland similar to the Toronto Islands but surrounded by a mostly vacant, industrial setting. ==Business== The [[Polson Pier|Docks Waterfront Entertainment Complex]] is located on Polson Street. In July 2007, Canada's largest Asian supermarket chain -- [[T & T Supermarket]] -- opened on the former site of [[Knob Hill Farms]]. The Port Lands is also home to the headquarters of Intelligarde International, a local security company. A former [[Imperial Oil|Esso]] oil storage facility was demolished and the [[Pinewood Toronto Studios]] (formerly ''FilmPort'') has been built on the {{Convert|11|acres|ha}} site. The first phase opened in 2008, and the project will be complete in 2010. ===Major events=== [[Cirque du Soleil]] has presented a touring version of several shows under the ''Grand Chapiteau'' on vacant lands of the area. * August 9 to October 21, 2007: Koozå * September 3 to November 8, 2009: Ovo * August 10 to October 9, 2011: Totem ==External links== *[http://waterfrontoronto.ca WATERFRONToronto] Federal, provincial and local partnership encouraging progressive and sustainable development of the Toronto waterfront. {{Geographic Location | title = | North = [[Riverdale, Toronto|Riverdale]], [[Leslieville]] | East = [[The Beaches]] | South = Lake Ontario | West = [[West Don Lands]],
[[Toronto Islands]]
[[East Bayfront]] | Center = Port Lands }} {{Toronto Neighbourhoods}} {{coord missing|Ontario}}